


soldier keep on marchin' on

by ShipperTrash140109



Category: Dunkirk (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, M/M, gibson is a ghost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23374357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipperTrash140109/pseuds/ShipperTrash140109
Summary: Alex was the only one who could see the sad man in the uniform. He recognised him about as much as he didn’t recognise him. The sad man felt like another time, a time that dangled in front of Alex like a carrot on a stick- tangible and yet forever swinging just out of his reach. The soldier’s presence felt like rough sand and hunger that gnawed deep in your gut, and he smelt like salt and acrid oil and he sounded like yelling and the popping sound of gunfire. He followed Tommy like a shadow and looked at him as if he’d known him in another life.
Relationships: Gibson/Tommy (Dunkirk), implied
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	soldier keep on marchin' on

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, this fic was inspired by [this incredible fanart](https://lolalikesflora.tumblr.com/post/166983274957/modern-au-only-alex-can-see-the-french-soldier), i encourage you all to check out their art, they have some awesome work.  
> title is from 'soldier' by fleurie

Alex was the only one who could see the sad man in the uniform. He recognised him about as much as he didn’t recognise him. The sad man felt like another time, a time that dangled in front of Alex like a carrot on a stick- tangible and yet forever swinging just out of his reach. The soldier’s presence felt like rough sand and hunger that gnawed deep in your gut, and he smelt like salt and acrid oil and he sounded like yelling and the popping sound of gunfire. He followed Tommy like a shadow and looked at him as if he’d known him in another life.

Alex had first seen the man when he’d been walking alongside Tommy down a quiet street- they’d decided to take themselves for a walk during their lunch hours between the classes at university. Alex hadn’t been able to figure out why it was on that day the man appeared- maybe he’d been there all along and had only just managed to bring himself into manifestation, perhaps Tommy had done something to wake him from his resting place, wherever it may be. All Alex knows is he should’ve hit solid, warm shoulder when he passed that man just a millimetre too close, and instead he hit cold air, and when he turned, an impolite ‘watch where you’re going, mate’ on his lips, Tommy stopped and looked at him like he’d gone insane on him.

“That bloke, nearly took me shoulder out” Alex had grumbled when met with that look of confusion, but his explanation had only earnt him more confusion. “The bloody man!” Alex exclaimed indignantly, shoes scuffling on the pavement as he started walking again at speed, Tommy stumbling to move in order to keep up with him.

“You take your anti-delusion pills this morning, mate?”

“Fuck you, you put your anti-blind stickers in this morning?”

Tommy frowned, huffing in annoyance “they’re called contacts.”

“They’re called ‘I don’t need anti-delusion pills, you’re just blind’ how could you not see that bloke? Dressed to the nine’s like a fucking war film extra, he was” Alex had always disliked the running joke that he was a little loose in the head, despite the fact that he’d started the joke in the first place, solidifying it in TommyAlex history when he’d called his anti-biotics ‘anti-psychotics’ so George wouldn’t make fun of him for being so completely wiped out by a _common cold_ of all things. Alex didn’t think he’d ever hated that joke as much as he had then.

“You’re out of it, let me shout you a coffee or vodka or something” Tommy had proposed, and that had been the end of it- for a while at least.

But the man kept coming back- Alex saw him in the back of their lecture hall, in their shared apartment kitchen at night when Tommy was making them some tea for them to sip to distract themselves from their study if only for a moment. Alex would always complain Tommy made it too strong, but it helped give him a jolt if anything. He saw the sad man sitting on the other end of the bench Tommy would sit at during lunch breaks in the courtyard while Alex spoke to Collins about their shared classes and likely the lack of work Alex had done in said shared classes.

Once he’d started really noticing the man, he realised that once an evening, without fail, the soldier would start to grow wet, invisible water lapping up his pants at a steady, unwavering pace until it swallowed the man whole. The first few times Alex witnessed it the man panicked, clawing at an intangible surface, holding his breath and fighting until he couldn’t bring his arms up and couldn’t keep his mouth clamped shut- once Alex could see the sadness and terror become replaced by emptiness. It was then, and only then would the water subside and release him- would the soldier breath air and stand there dripping phantasmic water onto the floor of whatever room he stood in. After a while he stopped fighting, just let the water cover him and drown him until it spit him back out. Then he would go back to his favourite activity; Tommy watching.

Alex didn’t bring it up with Tommy- hadn’t since the first time when he was accused of being off his rocker. He tried to do as much sleuthing and experimenting as he could without being pegged as some sort of loon. The man didn’t seem to respond to Alex messing with Tommy, pushing his buttons and the like- maybe because he knew they were mates or maybe because he didn’t care. The ‘didn’t care’ hypothesis lasted as long as it took for Alex to decide to try and get Tommy to inadvertently acknowledge the ghost. Even at the briefest eye contact the sad man would almost glow, mouth stretching in a grin that looked strange to Alex, strange because he’d never seen such an expression on the man’s face. He approached Tommy, mouth opening and shutting and looking as if he wanted to touch, wanted to do _something_ and Alex never intentionally tested that theory ever again- knowing a ghost wanted to bone his mate made sleep come a little slower every time he thought about it.

“Why are you here?” he found himself asking the bloke one night. It was late, Tommy had fallen asleep on the other end of the couch and Alex felt that he wasn’t far behind, not even the explosions and car chases unfolding on their tv could keep him completely awake. The ghost had been hovering just in the corner of his vision since they’d settled an hour earlier.

The ghost had startled at being addressed, perking and looking to Alex with wide eyes that had once held colour but now were dulled to a grey colour like the rest of his being.

When Alex received no response he groaned, turning more so he could face the phantom properly. “Can you talk? I know you lot can talk sometimes, c’mon… s’not like anyone will believe me if I dob you in, seeing as I’m the only person on this earth that can see you.” The ghost watched him for a moment before backing away slowly, the sharp odour of salt and oil following him- Alex had grown somewhat accustomed to it, after all, he spent a lot of time around Tommy, and therefore a lot of time around the ghost that shadowed him.

The ghost looked tempted, but he still kept silent and distant despite it.

Alex chewed the inside of his lip before sighing, “if you’re here because of him- because you need to give him a message, I’m the only person who can help you,” he explained, and then he pointed at the sleeping figure down the other end of the couch “if you need Tommy, you need me” he added, before pointing to himself, and he saw the soldier perk at ‘Tommy’ before he returned to the usual downtrodden expression.

Alex had thought that was the end of it- that the ghost would return to his silent watching, a guardian angel without wings, but then a few moments passed and the lights flickered, the tv blurring in static a couple seconds at a time, and when Alex’s head spun to the ghost he was glimmering.

The sounds that left the figure sounded like they were coming from inside Alex’s own head, but they couldn’t’ve because that man’s mouth was moving- it was loud and scratchy and all-encompassing and Alex tried to push himself back into the couch to escape it but he’d asked and now he was receiving. It was foreign and light but carried a pressure to it that made the words feel thick enough to make his head explode.

“Ce n'est pas de ta faute” the ghost started chanting, long enough that Alex could pull his phone out and desperately tap at the translate app. He hoped to God this archaic-sounding chanting could be heard by his phone.

He wasn’t shocked when it didn’t pick up anything, so he resorted to the next best thing, a rough repetition of the ghost’s words. The words that appeared in perfect English on his screen made his skin crawl and his next breath leave his lungs in a rough gasp.

Tommy had stirred at the end of the couch, and upon realising the movement the ghost stopped chanting, and the lights abruptly stopped flashing, the television returning to its previous action film. The only evidence left that something was off was the shocked gape on Alex’s pale face and the words on his screen.

“Whas’ goin’ on?” Tommy mumbled, sitting up slightly and wiping at his mouth, humming to himself as he fixed Alex with a tired stare.

Alex moved immediately, shuffling down the couch until he could wrap both arms around the smaller man’s shoulders. He wasn’t a hugger, and Tommy knew as such, jumped slightly at being in the other’s arms, but didn’t fight it. “It’s not your fault- it’s not your fault, Tommy” Alex stammered, voice shaking like he’d just seen a ghost- which he had.

Tommy didn’t question it beyond a raspy ‘sure,’ and when Alex looked up over Tommy’s shoulder to where the ghost had been stood, there was left nothing but empty air.

**Author's Note:**

> again, check out the artist's work, it's *chefs kiss*. please drop a kudos and a comment if you're feeling generous, thank you for reading!


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